Amazing Cross Stitch Decor and More

I hate headlines like “15 Times Cross Stitch was Amazingly Cool,” because they play into the stereotype that cross stitch — or any craft for that matter — isn’t cool all the time, in fact, isn’t cool until some site like Apartment Therapy notices that there are people using a classic craft in unconventional ways and decides that’s cool.

Whatever. These projects using cross stitch on tables, chairs, jewelry and the sides of buildings (among others) are actually pretty cool, and might inspire all of us to get a little more bold stitching into our home decor. And even if a cross stitched cane back chair isn’t your thing, you can still give a hat tip to the crafters who see every grid as a potential place for stitching.

Which of these projects if your favorite? I’d have to go with the stitched building facade for pure art, and the cross stitched cuff shown above, by designer Caro Baertling, for something I would wear every day.

[Photo via Apartment Therapy.]

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35+ Sunflower Cross Stitch Patterns

If you like seasonal samplers and cross stitch patterns with a primitive twist, you’ll enjoy the collection from Curious Carrie Designs.

You’ll find alphabet designs, biscornu, patriotic projects and more. The summer category is the largest on the storefront, with Americana and floral designs. There are also categories for the other seasons and more general designs.

One of my favorites is this pretty sunflower cross stitch pattern, which is shown styled as a biscornu but it wouldn’t have to be. The pattern features sunflowers and bees and a little beehive. It uses 12 colors of floss and each side of the pattern is 51 by 51 stitches, which comes out to 3.64 inches or 9.2 cm square.

I love the fabric she used for the sample, which she actually dyed purple herself, but it would also be pretty on a purchased light blue or other color if you don’t want to dye your own.

There’s also a whole set of themed biscornu with a four letter word on one side (crow, home, love and snow, to name a few) along with a seasonal pattern on the other side.

The shop has a rather small selection at around 90 patterns as of this writing, but it’s a nice collection of traditional looking designs heavy on samplers and biscornu designs, so if those are things you like you’ll want to be sure to check it out. Visit Curious Carrie Designs on Etsy to see all her pretty designs.

Are you a designer or do you have a favorite cross stitch designer who hasn’t made it into the spotlight yet? (You can see all the featured designers in the craft businesses category on the page.) Let me know in the comments, or you can submit more detailed information by clicking on “suggest a craft” at the center top of the page.

[Photo: Curious Carrie Designs]

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